Loop Head in Autumn

October 15th, 2018 was a fine day at Loop Head, Co. Clare.  The weather turned out warm, dry and  sunny in the afternoon, with a southeasterly air flow, good conditions for attracting daytime migrants.  I spent the day there with Murf and a few other Clare birders who dropped in from time to time.

The day started well with a female Hen Harrier near the Lough and a Wheatear in the fields to the east. I checked the flocks of Golden Plover in the same area and also at Ross hoping to catch up with the long-staying adult American Golden Plover (AGP) but drew a blank.  

A pair of Buzzards heading eastwards over Kilbaha village at lunch time afternoon was a nice surprise and indication of more to come. I spent the mid afternoon checking the village gardens along with Murf for the long staying Red-breasted Flycatcher.  It hadn't been seen for a few days but eventually showed up in overgrown hedges/grove at Costello's.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

This grove proved to be a hive of activity and kept drawing us back every time we resolved to leave. We counted at least six Chiffchaffs, several Goldcrests and Collared Doves along with the Flycatcher.  We were eventually rewarded with some views of a Garden Warbler, a scarce migrant at Loop Head.  

Garden Warbler

Chiffchaff

We eventually caught up with the moulting adult AGP in the company of a Goldie flock at Fodry in the late afternoon.  The flock was nervously watching out for a nearby Peregrine and didn't seem to mind our approach.

American Golden Plover

AGP (right) with Golden Plover

AGP

Leaving Fodry we came across two groups of three Buzzards drifting down the peninsula.  Buzzards are an increasingly common sight now in the west of Ireland and are regular visitors to Loop Head in the autumn but the eight birds (minimum) that we encountered is a record number for the area.

 

 

Later in the day we got nice views of Snipe in the pond at Kilbaha as the tide filled it up. The birds sat out in the open, clearly confident of their camouflaged plumaged as they sat on the seaweed.

 

Radde's Warbler

I struck it lucky last Monday (30/10/2017) when I arrived at Loop Head, Co. Clare just as John N. Murphy and Tony Mee were viewing a Radde's Warbler that John had found a few minutes earlier by the south side of lighthouse road.  This lively bird gave great views all day as it fed along the roadside bank and occasionally in the adjoining field. 

It was a first record for Clare and a great find by Murf!  While I had seen a few of them on the south coast last year I delighted to see this one closer to home.  It was completely unphased by all the attention from birders who gathered to see it and provided lots of good photo opportunities.

It was a good day's birdwatching with several Yellow-browed Warblers, Chiffchaffs, a male Blackcap, a Merlin and large numbers of Redwings, Song Thurshes and Blackbirbs.  This Chiffchaff was one of three in a small cluster of willows near Kilbaha village.

Blue-winged Teal

I made a quick trip to Coonagh last Sunday(1/9/13) morning followed by a visit to the Charleville Lagoons.  Things were quiet at both sites.  The tide was out at Coonagh so the absence of waders there was no surprise.  A Snipe was the only wader on view at Charleville, a site that was always good for scarce Sandpipers in the past.  I did come across several Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers that provided some good photo opportunities. See shots below.

I returned to Coonagh on Tuesday(3/9/13) evening as weather conditions were perfect and the tide was high. Waders again proved to be in short supply, a small flock of Lapwing being the only species present.  I was scanning the upper lagoon hoping to see if there was any sign of the Garganey that had been hanging around all summer when things took a dramatic turn for the better. I picked up what looked like a drake Blue-winged Teal in the distance.   Closer inspection confirmed the identification.  It was the second record of the species for the site, the first being in October 2010, and the sixth record for the County.

Drake Blue-winged Teal ©Tom Tarpey

Drake Blue-winged Teal  with Coot ©Tom Tarpey

Drake Blue-winged Teal  with Shoveler ©Tom Tarpey

Drake Blue-winged Teal with Coot ©Tom Tarpey

Blue-winged Teal are normally slow to moult out of eclipse plumage and generally the drakes don't appear in full plumage until November.  This bird has well advanced head feather moult. The body feathers generally seem to be still in eclipse mode however there are some signs of the white thigh patches starting to emerge.

While I was looking at the Teal a female/juvenile/type Garganey came into view.  Tony Mee and I had seen what appeared to be two birds in similar plumage flying around the site about ten days earlier but we didn't get a chance to view them on the water.  This bird looks like a possible juvenile bird.  It is noticeably different to the adult female bird that I saw there the following evening (4/9/13) in the company of an eclipse male.  This bird appears buffer in tone and with a less pronounced head pattern than the adult female.  All of these sightings point to the likelihood that the pair may have bred successfully at Coonagh this summer.

 Garganey ©Tom Tarpey 

Going back to Charleville, the adult birds there were looking the worst for ware after the breeding season, whereas the juvenile birds were looking much fresher. 

Adult Chiffchaff ©Tom Tarpey 

Juvenile Willow Warbler ©Tom Tarpey